Just a couple things from today’s CIAC state luncheon, which occurred at a secret meeting place somewhere in the state of Connecticut. I’d tell more people where this was held, but it was getting kinda crowded at CIAC headquarters today at noon and I…
D’oh.
Anyway, here are the props and gripes from the conference which, I’ll admit had my head spinning afterward.
Thumbs up:
To Kevin Nathan The master of ceremonies for the CIAC state championship luncheon but more commonly known as the Sports Director of WVIT-30. In an surprising display of grace, publicly gave WFSB-3′s deserving staff a massive pat on the back for their stellar coverage of the football season.
I know how tough it is to acknowledge when your fierce competitors have done a great job. Nathan gave credit where it was due and deserves to be applauded for that..
Jack Cochran: The New London coach, who normally misses this luncheon (especially when he was at New Britain) made the trip and said some nice things when it was his turn to speak. I only got a minute or two with him as he took off much later. But his kids, Calan Bryant and Ken Capers, were great interviews as well.
Pat Cox: The Tolland coach who was biting his lip as wave after wave of reporters kept asking if he thought his team had any chance against Seymour. He must have been so steamed that he had the windows rolled down all the way back home to Tolland. But during the the luncheon, he didn’t show it much… outside of a no comment when asked about Seymour coach Paul Sponehimer’s decree that his team’s SS semifinal game with Woodland was for the Class SS title.
“The United States was built on the underdog,” he said.
I know it must have been annoying… but he did a nice job holding up under the stigma.
The caterers: I heard the food was great…. I didn’t get a single bite until dessert. What, no doggie bags?
sportingnewsct.com: Don Boyle does a great job. I would have never thought of this, but he interviews every coach and a player from every team and does it live. Heck, Matt Merullo the father of Hand QB Nick Merullo said he was listening to the broadcast all afternoon today It’s a great experience for every player who gets a chance to go to this event and feel like a big shot for a few hours. Working the room, as it were.
Thumbs Down:
The CIAC people who kept going on and on about how great it is to have having six state champions. BLEAH.
I’m going to keep saying this until I’m blue in the face… or until they change the playoff system to my liking: …One more round, Three state championships… One more round,Three state championships. …One more round, Three state championships. …One more round, three state championships.
Once again, the football season is great until after the state titles are divvied out. I always ALWAYS feel like we could have played one more round to figure this state’s hierarchy out.
Alas.
A little birdie told me this was a realistic possibility once, but some clods at the CIAC refuse to overlap into the winter (it’s ONE WEEK and three teams, who cares?). Augh. This is like the Big 10 commish holding up a college football playoff. Expect to see this in a column over and over again.
To the venue. This is nobody’s fault because, who knew? But this place was packed with all sorts of new media, old media, or multimedia. There must have been another 50 or so more people at this event than normal.
Between the CPTV people, the Sportingnewsct.com people, and, of course the entire sports staff of the New Haven Register including former Post writer turned NHR Editor Sean Barker (are all of you guys writing advances or whut?) it was just nuts today.
At one point, it looked to me as if Tom Brockett was being pulled in eight different directions, by the newspapers, the radio, the tv and then the newmedia newspaper video people. I’m guessing Tommy must have said the same thing 100 million times, 100 million ways.
Even the Connecticut Post had two more people than years before when it was just me or, years before that, David Agostino running around. We brought William S. Paxton and Mark Dwyer of New Canaan News-Review fame. Still, it felt like it wasn’t enough as I was running around all day.
To people who keep saying that nobody expected Bunnell to be this good this year.
I think this sentiment tends to get a little overblown and cliched. It’s something people — players, coaches, media — all kind of just assume. There’s something to it, yes, but not nearly the big deal people make it out to be.
Yes, by some logic you can say Bunnell, which needed an amazing effort to beat Staples last year, would be down after losing its architect, QB Steve Smith. But after looking at the personnel I didn’t think they’d drop much. Then I watched their scrimmage with Staples.
In fact, lets take a look at what I wrote in the preseason capsules…
Outlook — Bunnell’s Class L upset victory over Staples pretty much legitimized Bunnell and the SWC in the eyes of Connecticut. Now comes the hard part: maintaining its elite status. Sloat has the unenviable task of replacing a town legend. But with everyone back older and stronger, especially on defense, Sloat has more weapons at his disposal than Smith did. The Dawgs will have growing pains, sure, but this club will be in the mix for a title defense.
So I know I least I’m not responsible for this.
I’ll think of more grievances later. LOL So check back.
SPB
Sean, No grievances from me. Other than our tango about the 1st Bunnell vs. Masuk game (okay – I won’t mention anything more about that hornets’ nest) – you’ve been very fair (from pre-season) about Bunnell’s team and their 2007 prospects. You’ve said and printed things that probably offended every conference (and all the marquee teams), while you’ve also given credit where it is due.
If you look at Bruno’s record with Smith and Without Smith you would be surprised. Bruno and the rest of that coaching staff have built a program. Does it have the tradition of the Valley? No…But what that staff has done up there is the building blocks for a real solid and continously winning program. Bunnell has had good teams over the years but once Bruno took the reigns it was a program that he built. The kids put in an effort that can only be matched not outdone. Can’t wait for Bunnell vs Masuk III should be another great game……
dear pat-bunnell is good——fyi-coahes are from the valley
Hey Ray…Fyi, no kidding so was I when I was on the staff for 5 years…..My point was not to say if Bunnell is good or bad…My point was if people are saying they didn’t expect Bunnell to be good this year that haven’t been watching over a period of time. People jump on and off the Bunnell and Bruno band wagon all the time. Just wanted to give some credit to the team and the staff, that is all…..BTW The Ansonia comment was specifically put in there for the boys from the vally
Word is getting around that Greenwich’s star, Jonathan Meyers was talkin’ crap at the press conference saying that, “If we can beat our 2nd string, we can beat Shelton.” Keep talkin’ crap, it just makes Shelton want it that much more!!!! Remember what happened to Prep when they talked crap? I guess “class” doesn’t always coincide with “wealth.”
GO GAELS!!!!!!
bunnell is the 2nd best team in the state…..behind greenwich
LC- I didn’t talk to him at the luncheon, but nobody told me Meyers said anything like that. Having talked to him before about all kinds of topics, I know he would never talk like that. Never has. Never will. Find your motivation elsewhere. You don’t have to look far.
spb
Please don’t turn the LL State Title Game into a “wealth” war (humble poor vs. the cocky rich)
Just play the game, both teams have a lot of talent and in my opinion both teams have a shot to win it. Keep it simple.
I think Bunnell has the most athletic team in the state, hands down. Whether or not they are #3 will come down to the pollsters.
SPB – Really? He would NEVER talk like that. Go ask Coach Roy. He heard what Meyers said, and didn’t appreciate it.
Bunnell’s D needs to show up once again for this last game.
If not, Mausk will pull off the upset.If you want to call it that.Mausk is no underdog, or a little one at best.
This will be the game to see, just like last years Bunnell-Staples championship game was.
To bad the rest off the games last year were not as exciting as that one was.
Coaches always have motivational ploys to get their team up(although it is the state championship-what more do you need?)I doubt Coach Roy is any different than any other coach.
Meyers doesn’t talk like that. Case closed.
Big deal if the kid did talk crap.
Last I knew it was America & he is entitled to his opinion on what will happen.
It doesn’t matter what we think.If the kid chooses to act like this it’s on him, not his team.Freedom of speech, thoughts & ideas.
Shelton needs to take out on the field & make him eat his words.
So go cry about it some other place.Like China.
As is customary with the Gael football team, they will do their talking out on the field in regards to what Myers did or didn’t say. However, now that word is out there that this kid Myers possibly did compare Shelton with GHS’s 2nd string team, it’s first of all a shame that Greenwich considers their 2nd string team separate from them in regards to being a football TEAM, and with a little bit of luck and good old fashioned smash mouth football, the Gaels just might surprise Greenwich with the great talent the Gales have when the Gaels are on the top of their game, which we are all hoping for Sat. night. Both teams are in the State Championship because of their respective records so let’s keep in mind that so far Shelton is the winning team since they already have shown more respect and dignity than Greenwich appears to have. Go GAELS!!!!!
Is anybody thinking that the two games which are being shown on live tv will suffer attendance because people would rather just watch for free from their house than pay to sit in the cold?
I really think the CIAC underestimated this fact.
Aw come off it about that supposed Meyers comment: I have no fondness for Greenwich, but my guess is, he meant that comment–if he said it all–as a compliment to his teammates rather than to be disrespectful to Shelton. Greenwich is such a huge squad numberswise, a lot of probably decently talented, hardworking kids never see the field except as scout players at practice. So I read the comment as recognition of their contribution to the overall season effort. And as for Shelton getting its back up about the comment, well, that sounds like a rather desperate and transparent effort to create “bulletin board material” when in fact there wasn’t any. Just my opinion, is all.
ya that could be true even though i doubt it,as we all should kno..trash talk doesnt effect a game,both Shelton and Greenwich have a lot of class,and respect for eachother..roy might use it for motivation but probably not he knos he doesnt need motivation for a game like this,this is a great and determined team they already are fired up,motivation wont be an issue,Greenwich also has a good bunch of kids..for both these teams confernce champs are nice,the memories are great..but a season without a ring is a dissapointment,or even failure.
And it was my freedom of speech to post it in the forum…DUH.
ansonia is the best team in state -hands down-greenwich hand shelton and bunnell r playing for second place which means nothing
“If we can beat our 2nd string, we can beat Shelton.”
LC, just for reference, after the Greenwich-Central game LAST season, Rich Albonizio made a comment to the effect that their biggest worry is injuries in practice because their second defense has been beating up their starting offense, and vice versa.
Meyers has never hinted at talking any sort of smack towards the opposition, and may be one of the most courteous kids I ever had the opportunity to talk with.
Now the Shelton coaches in the booth last night… talk about smack talk! They should have realized the booth wasn’t soundproof, and all their profanity and smack was audible to everyone in the press box.
joe what shelton custom are u talking about?theyve never won anything
How good would Bunnell really be if all their players went to the high school in which district they live? Hmmmmm….Michael Easley, Mark Harrison, Jon Jackson, Chris Rosario, Jeff Farrell, James Davis, Hopeton Quarrie etc…Stratford High School
Sure, than everyone would be complaining that their kids are intitiled to a better education that Bunnell offers.
Sad but true.
Town of Stratford bought all that land years ago & still has done nothing with it.
Should only be one high school in Stratford.Than all the kids can get a great education.
Bunnell just has better facilites than Stratford.Shouldn’t be that way. but it is.